


Fading Scars

by rhapshie



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, M/M, Prostitute Akira, not lewd i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2020-02-29 19:23:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18784600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhapshie/pseuds/rhapshie
Summary: Akira never thought that he would be grateful for his leaky ceiling.





	Fading Scars

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on smut burn-out so I want to write something not lewd... this has the potential to be a massive multichap but I think I don't need any more of that XD

Being a university student with no one to support you was damn tough.

It wasn't just the tuition fee that Akira had to worry about, but it was also the high cost of living in Tokyo. Monthly rent, food and utility bill cost him an arm and a leg. Ever since he ran away from his house two years ago, life had always been an uphill battle from him. While he didn't regret his decision in the slightest, he also missed the comfort of a warm meal and fluffy bed that he simply didn't have the luxury of nowadays. Not when his diet consisted of convenience store bento box and cup noodles.

He would get a part-time job, but that would hardly be enough to cover for half of the expenses, and not to mention to the amount of time it would take from his already busy student life. And so, that brought him here.

Thanks to his leaky apartment, Akira was now standing in Shibuya. He was soaked from hair to toe and the night was getting darker. He didn't have any money left over to sleep in a motel, so his best bet was to find someone willing to take him to their place. He had a fair amount of sugar daddies and previous customers who frequented Shibuya, so it wasn't a difficult task to reach out to one of them and ask if he could spend the night with them.

Akira could see steam forming from his bated breath. There was rainwater all over his glasses, and he groaned in discomfort as he pulled on his skin-tight thin white shirt that left little to the imagination. The worst part was his wet socks. God, he needed to find somewhere dry or he would be stuck with a case of smelly feet.

Akira scrolled through his list of contacts and pondered over it for a few moments. He was so exhausted after a sleepless night of working on an assignment yesterday, so anyone who preferred rough sex was not an option, not when he could hardly keep his eyes open. Still, was there even  _anyone_ who liked vanilla sex in this list of names? No, Akira had not had any relaxing sex for a few months now. All of his sessions with his customers usually resulted in some sort of bruise that persisted for a few days.

Just when he was about to contact someone at random as a last resort, he reached the bottom of the page. It was a name written in English that simply said 'weirdo'. That name alone was enough to print a thin smile on Akira's lips. Munehisa Iwai. He, indeed, was the most peculiar patron he ever got. His calls were sporadic at best, sometimes not calling for weeks on end, leaving Akira to wonder if he'd lost interest, only to suddenly do one day. There was a time when he called three times in a week, and that had been the best, easiest week that Akira had in a long while.

Iwai was a handsome man. He had a masculine charm about him with his gruff voice that made Akira shiver, his tendencies to let all of his emotions show, be it frustration, joy or anger; and of course, those muscles. Iwai had never once taken his signature black turtleneck off, but Akira could tell he was hiding something delectable underneath. Honestly, when Akira first met him, he thought that he would just be another brute who got off on degrading him. On the contrary, however, Iwai had never  _once_ laid a finger on him.

His train of thought was derailed when he felt a presence next to him, followed with the lack of rainwater falling on him.

"What're you doin' here all soaked like that? You'll get sick."

Akira immediately tilted his head and saw the man he was just thinking about. Iwai stood there with a black umbrella in his hand, and he was wearing his usual hat, ear protectors, coat, turtleneck, jeans and boots that were so simple, but looked like they were the epitome of fashion on him. Honestly, Akira couldn't picture him wearing anything else but those.

"Leaky roof. I'd be soaked regardless." Akira said with a shrug as he pocketed his phone.

Iwai eyed the student in front of him as if gauging his options. The intense, studious look that he fixed at Akira made the bespectacled male flinch. He crossed his arms defensively despite this not being the first time someone had looked at him that way. There was something about Iwai's steely grey eyes that made him feel exposed. Naked. Like he couldn't hide anything from the man even if he wanted to.

A few seconds that felt like hours elapsed before Iwai nodded and said, "C'mon. My place's not too far away."

Akira's heart thumped in joy at that. Was it really going to be this easy? All Iwai ever did when they were together was talk about his life. No lingering glances, no physical contact whatsoever, no sexual remarks. Was today going to be the same too, or was he going to bare his fangs at last? Akira walked with trepidation next to Iwai. His mind was conjuring all sort of hypothesis behind that thoughtful look shot his way earlier. Akira was well-aware that people could easily his naked skin through the soaked shirt, and that his nipples were clearly printed underneath it. Was that what Iwai was looking at? Was he going to be objectified anyway, at the end of the day?

He wasn't saying that he didn't like sex. On the contrary, he revelled in it. However, after two years of constant sex, he was numbed. It was no longer a hobby for him, but an occupation that he wished he could get away from. His body was covered in scars that wouldn't disappear and faded bruises that would linger in his mind for the rest of his life. He felt so filthy... and standing next to Iwai only amplified that thought.

Akira let out a breath out of his mouth when Iwai unlocked the door to his house. He could instantly feel the warmth that radiated from within, and he tentatively stepped inside as Iwai closed the umbrella and set it aside next to the door. Despite the few times they spent together, Iwai had never brought him back to his place. Their designated spot was always at Untouchable.

"I'm back, Kaoru," Walking past Akira, Iwai announced. There was soft thudding noise before a high-schooler poked his head from the corner and beamed.

"Welcome back!" He said, then he looked at Akira. "We have a guest."

"Yeah. Name's Akira. He'll be spending the night here," When Kaoru widened his eyes and formed an 'o' with his lips, Iwai stammered. "H-hey, this ain't what you think it is, okay? He's got nowhere to go. Besides, why would I bring a prostitute when you're here?"

"You know that I won't think of you differently regardless of your sexuality, right dad? You have to let loose sometimes." The boy laughed so earnestly, in turn making Akira chuckle.

"Kaoru!" Iwai grunted when his son disappeared around the corner again. "He's such a handful."

"You love him." Akira smiled, thinking back to the time when Iwai gushed about how proud he was of his son.

"God, yeah. I wouldn't trade him for the world," The older male muttered softly with soft laughter. "C'mon, kid. Are you hungry? Kaoru's making hotpot today."

"I—" Akira's denial died in his throat when his stomach let out an embarrassingly loud rumble that made Iwai snort. "If... that's okay." He muttered sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck.

"But first, you gotta take a shower." Iwai walked into the house with Akira trailing after him.

The man gave him a fluffy, fresh towel that looked more comfortable than his blanket back at his cheap apartment, then walked into the bathroom after Akira, making his heart thunder in his chest. Was he going to join him in the shower? Well, of course, he supposed. There was no way he would let Akira stay in his place for free.

Akira felt Iwai's arm reaching towards him from behind and he closed his eyes. He was so tired. He didn't want to have sex, but what choice did he have? If his host wanted to take him right here, he just had to be quiet and accept it. The cuts on his back throbbed as he waited for Iwai's touch that never came.

"Don't use this shampoo," Iwai said, making Akira blink. What? "Use this one, and this is the conditioner. And soap... here. Strawberry's fine?"

"U-uh... yeah." Akira muttered in bewilderment. Was that it?

"Don't use too much hot water. I haven't showered either. I've got you some of Kaoru's shirt. I'll put it here." With that, Iwai left the bathroom and closed the door, leaving Akira puzzled.

Iwai really wasn't going to do anything to him?

Akira frowned, but he soon relaxed when the warm water washed off his fatigue bit by bit. It had been a while since he last had such a relaxing shower like this. In his apartment, he had to constantly fight with others for their meagre share of hot water, and it wasn't a rare occurrence for Akira to shower with ice-cold water during winter because of his schedule. Funny how even then, he didn't regret running away from his house even a bit.

Glancing at the ground where water pooled on his feet and entered the drain, Akira sighed. He had a long day yesterday. Akira glanced sideways at the large mirror behind the door, then turned around to look at the cuts on his back. It was just his luck that one of his roughest customers called after class. Looked like he was having a bad day because he was too quick to pull a whip on him despite his request to stop. Well, he supposed he got good money after that...

Akira winced when he ran a finger through one of the many cuts that would undoubtedly leave obvious marks if left untreated. Well, not that he had a choice. He barely had any money to spare for the doctor and he for sure wouldn't be able to apply some ointment himself. He  _could_ get one of his friends to help out, but that would only invite trouble. None of them knew what kind of life Akira had, after all.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, he was greeted with the delicious smell of hotpot and the friendly conversation between Iwai and Kaoru. If Akira thought the man let his guard down around him, he was sorely mistaken. The weightless laughter that he let out in the dining room sounded so genuine and warm that it instilled some degree of security on him. It was obvious how much he loved his son, and it made Akira burn with jealousy. He wished his parents would treat him the same way too.

"Ah, we were just talking about you, Kurusu-san. Come, sit!" Kaoru gave Akira a smile as he said that.

Iwai pulled the chair next to him, and Akira sat on it after muttering his thanks. He was a lot more relaxed now, but he was still wary. No one could be so kind as to provide him with a warm meal, nice shower and somewhere to sleep for nothing, right? Iwai must want something out of him and he would most likely find out at night when Kaoru was asleep and they were alone.

"Nothing embarrassing, I hope." Akira chuckled softly as Iwai placed some meat and vegetables in his bowl.

"No! He was just telling me about how good you are at model painting. You know, I tried to do it and messed it up big time. Guess I've got no talent for art."

"That was your first go, and you were twelve! I'm sure the next would be different. I'll show you some tricks, whenever you wanna do it." Iwai laughed, then watched Kaoru putting in more raw food into the sizzling pot.

"What's the occasion for the hotpot?" Akira muttered after he finished swallowing a piece of tofu. It was so delicious. The broth ran down his throat and warmed him up from within.

"Dad's birthday. Didn't he tell you?" Kaoru blinked.

"Oh," Akira simply stated, then he looked at Iwai who only shrugged. "No, he didn't. Happy birthday, Mune."

"Yeah, thanks." Iwai nonchalantly remarked.

They continued eating and talking for the next hour. The jealousy that brewed inside him remained as he looked at how happy Kaoru and Iwai were. They cherished each other, genuinely loved spending time with each other. This was what a family should be, yet, his wasn't anything like this. His was full of dramas, contempt and hate. Akira couldn't stand seeing his parents bickering in front of him and behind him, screaming about what a deadweight their son was most of the time they were in the house.

Iwai noticed how Akira's hand and chopsticks trembled. His head was lowered and his free hand clenched into a fist.

"Hey," He leaned closer to Akira, hovering just a few centimetres away from his ear. "Are you tired? You can sleep if you want."

Akira shivered at the tone. It could easily sound dirty and sexual, but it wasn't. Iwai was genuinely concerned for his well-being, and Akira had no idea how to react to it. Instead of saying anything intelligent, he weakly nodded and stood up before he did anything stupid like crying. He followed Iwai into the bedroom quietly.

"You'll be okay on your own? Do you need anything?"

"No..." Akira said, unaware of how his voice quivered. The tone that Iwai employed was so gentle, so soft, unlike anything he was used to. "I'm-I'm fine. Thank you."

"I'll be back later, okay? Try'ta get some sleep." With a small smile, Iwai closed the door.

Akira climbed onto the bed and pulled up the fluffy blanket over his body. It smelt earthy like Iwai, like the coffee-scented shampoo he used and strawberry body wash he slathered himself with. Akira took a deep breath, inhaling the comforting smell and allowed it to run through his body. This felt so physical and intimate, even moreso than sex. Like this, he felt so much closer to Iwai than he ever did his other customers.

He wasn't sure how much time he spent wallowing in his own thoughts, but it must have been a while because he heard the door opening again. He looked up to see Iwai, bare-chested and freshly showered walking towards him with a first aid kit. God, that body. He was so muscular, his abs rippling with muscles and his biceps bulging, Akira wanted to run his fingers through it. And those tattoos... fuck. He must be a member of the Yakuza to have his body so full of masterful work of ink like that.

"Good, you're still awake. Take off your shirt." He simply said as he sat on the edge of the bed and opened the box.

"Huh?"

"Don't act dumb. I saw your scars. Your clothes' so thin you might as well be naked. C'mon." He said impatiently, making Akira scramble to take off his shirt.

He bit his lower lip when he turned around to show Iwai the unsightly whip marks on his pale back. He could hear Iwai's displeased grunt as he ran his ointment-covered fingers gently over the bruises.

"I know you need money, but you gotta take care of yourself. There are a lot of nasty adults out there," Iwai sighed. "Seriously, for such a smart kid, you've got no sense of self-preservation."

Akira was quiet even as he was being lectured. He wasn't annoyed. In fact, he felt strangely full. His parents never were concerned enough about him to tell him what he should and shouldn't do, and his friends knew too little about the life he led behind the mask of a responsible student to do that.

"Why did you request me, Mune?" Akira decided to finally ask the question that had been gnawing on him for a while. "We never fuck. You never asked me to do anything for you except to clean the shop up. Couldn't you just get a part-timer to do that?"

Iwai took his time to ponder over the question, his hand never once stopping from treating the nasty wound on Akira's back. "I wanted a quick fuck," Iwai admitted. "But you looked so tired, I couldn't bring myself to take you."

Akira scoffed. "Is that really it? Why do you care so much about a whore?"

"You might be a sex worker, but you're human too. A student, to boot. So I figured you didn't do this out of passion, but to cover for your living expenses." Iwai continued, his voice was so genuine that Akira believed him.

"Then let me change the question," The younger male muttered. "What made you request me?"

"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" Iwai chuckled low, making Akira shiver. That voice really did things to him. "Anyone who's interested in guys would be crazy to not be attracted to you. You're damn pretty, Akira."

"Flatterer," Akira smiled, but couldn't deny the happiness that swelled inside him. "So you like young, pretty boys, huh? Are you sure you don't want any of my other services?"

"Hah!" Iwai let out an amused breath. "That plan's bust as soon as we started talking. Whores aren't meant to be your friends, y'know? But now I think you know more about me more than Kaoru does. How am I gonna I fuck someone like that with no strings attached?" He laughed. "You'll be surprised by how much a relationship can change once someone sticks their dick in the other person. There. Done." Iwai finished once all the medicine had been spread on Akira's back.

Akira clenched the bedsheet underneath him tightly. For Iwai, those must be just words, but for Akira, they were treasures. None of his other customers knew anything about him beyond just names, but here Iwai was being all worried about the man who was supposed to be a sexual outlet. It was unfair. How could he do this to him?

"Is this a sick joke?" Akira choked out, his voice was trembling with repressed emotion. "What are you planning? No one's dumb enough to waste money on a whore just to talk with them."

"What, you'd rather me to fuck you right now?" When he was answered with silence, Iwai scoffed. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Now sleep."

Akira shivered when he felt Iwai's calloused fingers on his nude shoulder, easing him to bed so that he was sleeping on the side as to not rub the ointment on the sheet. So gentle. No one who was so ripped should have the right to have such tender and comforting touch like that. No voice so gruff and seductive should lull him to sleep like this. None who looked so rough should be the kindest, most considerate man he had ever met.

Akira felt the bed easing up when Iwai got off it. Akira should be glad to be left alone, yet it was like his heart was about to leave along with Iwai. The room became increasingly quiet despite the loud drumming of rain and the roar of thunder outside to keep him company. He hated it. For once in his life, the bed felt too big for one.

"Mune..." Akira called out just before Iwai could exit the room. "Sleep with me. Please."

Iwai's lips slowly lifted to form a smile. He must admit that he didn't know much about Akira, but he knew enough to understand that the kid had been through hell. Without complaint or remark, Iwai let go of the doorknob and walked towards Akira who looked so defenceless in his bed.

Akira made a noise of contentment when the bed dipped and sighed when the smell signature to Iwai invaded his personal space. He wasted not even a second to close the distance between them and rested his head on Iwai's broad, tattooed chest. He had always hated sharing his bed with others, but for some reason, this was okay. More than okay, it was  _perfect_.

When one of Iwai's hand rested on the pillow above his head and the other draped carefully on his waist, the thundering in Akira's heart eased. Iwai was warm, warmer than the blanket or the heater inside the room. Even though the rain crashed deafeningly loud against the window, rattling and shaking it like it was ready to burst inside, Akira could hear nothing but Iwai's calm heartbeat.

For the first time in forever, Akira felt right at home.


End file.
